


A Long Way Home

by blossombox



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: (or as close as we'll get with five lmao), Author Comes Back From the Dead, Cuddling & Snuggling, Gen, Good Sibling Allison Hargreeves, Hurt/Comfort, Mother Hen Allison, One Shot, Post-Canon, Roadtrip, Sick Fic, Sick Five, Time Travel, Vomiting, Would be Set After They Stop the Apocalypse for Real Soooo, could be canon compliant?, re-uploaded fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-08
Updated: 2020-01-08
Packaged: 2021-02-27 11:48:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,587
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22166656
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blossombox/pseuds/blossombox
Summary: It’s all over, and they should be celebrating. The end of the end of the world and all that. Five’s spent years of life - most of his life - waiting for this moment.And he’s spending cramped inside a rented minivan, barrelling down the highway at six in the morning, trying not to throw up.
Relationships: Number Five | The Boy & Allison Hargreeves, The Hargreeves Family
Comments: 18
Kudos: 428





	A Long Way Home

**Author's Note:**

> original note from 6.27.19:  
> here's a crash course in context bc I'm vague as FUCK: basically, this would be post-seasons 1 and 2 (probably) with the apocalypse prevented and the gang having all travelled back to the future. Basically, they end up kinda far from home and decide to just road-trip it. Idk maybe this isn't time-travel-rules compliant but oh well i guess just read!!

It’s all over, and they should be celebrating. The end of the end of the world and all that. Five’s spent years of life - most of his life - waiting for this moment.

And he’s spending cramped inside a rented minivan, barrelling down the highway at six in the morning, trying not to throw up. 

Trying, but failing. Time travel’s never been easy on the body, and today is no exception. His stomach contracts in warning yet again, and the sick feeling he's been having worsens just enough to push him over the edge. 

He swallows thickly and groans. 

“Pull over.” 

There’s a collective sigh from the front seat. This is the fourth time he’s asked since they hit the road an hour ago. Nonetheless, Luther complies with his request without comment. 

Five stumbles out of the car as soon as they pull onto the shoulder. The wind is freezing on his bare shins, and the sweat that’s collected beneath his shirt goes sickly cold. He retches, pukes bile onto the gravel.

He hangs his head and spits on the ground, hands on his knees. There’s another wave of nausea working its way through him, but he’s gonna try to ride it out. 

“Hey, c’mon,” comes Diego’s voice from inside the car, “none of that. You gotta get it out now or we’re gonna have to stop again in another five miles.” 

Five’s eyes are squeezed shut from the pain. 

“Just shut up,” he says through gritted teeth, trying to sound threatening despite how pathetic he feels.

He gags, but nothing more comes up. His body’s done with him for now. For some reason, though, he can’t quite get it together enough to move his feet. 

From behind him, he hears a seat belt unbuckle, followed by the sound of Klaus hopping out of the car. He comes up beside Five and puts his hand on the top of his shoulder. 

“Come on, tough guy, let’s go.”

Five lets Klaus lead him back into the car solely because he’s too weak and tired to put up a fight. He clamors back into his seat, rests his head against the cool glass of the window as Luther starts back on the highway. 

For all the bad luck they’d come by over the past month of their lives, it’s only fitting that he had to bring them all back six hours West of home before burning out. He’d give anything to be back in the comfort of his bed. 

Vanya leans forward, hands him her bottle of water that’s really become his since she offered it to him to rinse his mouth out the first time. He takes a sip and grimaces. 

“Lighten up a little, huh?” says Klaus, interrupting the quasi-silence and taking a swig of cherry coke, “maybe it’s the never-ending _scowling_ that’s making you sick.” 

“Can it, Klaus,” Luther says flatly at the same time that Five scoffs and mutters “go to hell.”

The queasy feeling in his gut still hasn’t left, and he can’t help the helpless noise that slips out of his mouth. It’s pained and frustrated and maybe a little childish but it’s definitely _not_ a whine. 

Diego turns around to look at him with raised eyebrows. 

“If you’re gonna hurl again, you better say something ‘cause you’re not doing it in here.” 

_“Nice,”_ says Vanya scathingly. 

“You wanna ride back in a car that smells like puke?”

Klaus laughs and Vanya starts to retort, but Allison cuts them off. 

“That’s enough! Knock it off, guys.” 

At this point, Five looks just as miserable as he feels. His face is scrunched up in discomfort, arms wrapped around himself, making him look even tinier than he already is. The others’ bitching isn’t helping, either. 

Allison seems to get it. (Maybe it’s the mom in her.) 

She shakes her head and moves to get up from her seat.

“Move over, Klaus.” 

Five hears Klaus mimic her under his breath, but he scoots to the side so that she can climb into their row of the car. 

_“You all_ need to be _quiet,”_ she says to her grown siblings before turning on Five, “and _you_ need to take it easy, okay?”

Five summons what little is left of his energy to make a face. 

“M’fine, Allison,” he groans, still not moving away from the window, “and I’m not a little kid.”

Allison rolls her eyes.

“I wasn’t saying that,” she says, “but I have seen you throw up eight times today and I don’t think what you’re doing is making it any better.” 

She takes his arm and coaxes him away from the window. 

“Diego, hand me Luther’s jacket-” 

Five’s grumbles of protest fall upon deaf ears as she reaches into the front seat to grab the overcoat and pulls it around him. It was already big on Luther, but over him it looks gigantic. More importantly, it probably looks ridiculous. 

“Allison-” 

He shifts, having every intention of pushing it off. Allison, however, won’t allow it. 

“We aren’t arguing about this. You’re freezing, you’re sick, and you need to _rest.”_

“She’s right, man,” says Luther, not tearing his eyes from the road, “it’ll go a lot faster if you just try and get some sleep.” 

“Yeah,” interjects Klaus, “and besides, she’s doing you a favor, covering up those shorts.”

Allison grabs the magazine he’s reading and swats him with it. 

“Oh, shut up,” she says before tossing it aimlessly at his chest, “and get in the back.” 

He does as she says and joins Vanya in the back of the car. In the middle row, Allison shrugs off her own jacket, balls it up, and sets it in her lap. She unbuckles Five’s seat belt before sliding over so that she’s right between her seat and Klaus’. 

“Lay down,” she orders, lifting the collar of Luther’s coat so that it won’t slip onto the floor.

He shoots her a look that would have been off-putting if not for his bleary eyes and pale, boyish face. He practically never looks this young, even when he’s asleep. 

“Again, I’m not asking,” Allison says in a fake-cheerful voice, “I’m telling. Now come here.”

He snorts, trying to roll his eyes under half-closed lids, but the look Allison gives him forces his hand. He untangles himself from the seatbelt and slowly lowers himself down across the seat, one cautious hand against his still-uneasy stomach.

The softness of the jacket on top of Allison’s legs is inviting, but Five resists the impulse to let his body go slack. Instead, he lays stiff, cheek touching the jacket without putting the weight of his head into it. 

He tenses when he feels Allison’s touch on his temple. 

_“Relax,”_ she says softly, her own eyes closed, “just go to sleep, alright?”

The fact that all his siblings are in the car and can hear her is embarrassing, but he just doesn’t have it in him to try and save face. Finally, he gives in. 

He presses his face into the top of Allison’s knee, hoping the pressure will ease the all-too-familiar throbbing behind his forehead. 

Allison clicks her tongue sadly, running slow fingers through his hair. The other hand rests on the small of his back. 

They sit like that for a second, until the car accelerates and Five’s stomach starts turning again. He makes to get up, wanting to draw his knees up to his stomach and lean back into the door like he’d been doing before, but Allison stops him. 

“You’re fine,” she says, guiding him back down into her lap, “just give it a second.” 

“But-” 

Five’s cheeks heat up a little bit. Sure, Diego had just been being an asshole, but he really doesn’t want to risk throwing up in the car. 

Allison seems to know what he’s thinking. 

“I’m not gonna let you get sick, okay? Just trust me.” 

Easier said than done. 

Nevertheless, Five lays back down warily, lets his sister go back to rubbing his back. Maybe it’s a little juvenile, but he’s willing to give himself a break just this once. 

He closes his eyes, tries to take deep breaths. Still presses into Allison’s knee. 

They drive in silence for the next twenty minutes. They’re all tired out, and Luther’s knuckles are white on the steering wheel. Perhaps it’s easier if they don’t talk at all. 

In the passenger seat, Diego crosses his arms, with his chin tucked down to his chest. In the back, Klaus’ head is tipped all the way back, his breathing slow and shallow, probably giving into his own exhaustion. Beside him, Vanya has her legs crossed, elbow resting on her beaten-up armrest. 

Allison’s tired eyes flit around the cab, taking in the relative peace. It’s hardly ever this quiet when they’re together. 

Luther meets her eye in the rearview mirror. 

“Five asleep?” 

She looks down and smiles. Five’s eyes are shut, mouth open only slightly. He’s dead weigh in her lap. 

“Mhm,” she says, before turning her head back up, “okay if I take a nap, too?” 

“Yeah, ‘course.” 

She’s already shimmying down in her seat to get more comfortable. 

“Wake me up if you get tired of driving though,” she says through a yawn, “we’ve still got a long way to go.” 

“Sure.”

She closes her eyes. Luther doesn’t wake her. 

It’s been far too long since she or Five or any of them, for that matter, have gotten to sleep without worry. They owe it to themselves. 

He keeps driving. 


End file.
